ALBANY — The Sweet 16 was just another commercial for college basketball’s biggest star.
Caitlin Clark was a magnet for every eye, the subject of every conversation, a magician and tornado, conductor and bulldozer, who alternated will and skill and misdirection that left defenders in a series of helpless stances.
It was another brilliant showcase and all-around effort, reminiscent of last year’s star-making tournament run, as Clark carved up No. 5 Colorado for 29 points, 15 assists and six rebounds in Iowa’s 89-68 win on Saturday at MVP Arena.
Next comes the return bout fit for an octagon.
On Monday night, TV ratings will be shattered, when No. 1 Iowa (32-4) and defending champion No. 3 LSU (31-5) meet one day shy of the one-year anniversary of last year’s national title game, pitting Clark and Angel Reese — who infamously mocked the Iowa superstar at the close of LSU’s 102-85 win, which drew a record 9.9 million viewers — against each other in a sequel Magic Johnson and Larry Bird didn’t have until the NBA.
The Hawkeyes (32-4) — who before last season hadn’t made the Final Four since 1993 — are one win from cutting down another net, from slaying the Tigers who prevented the girl from West Des Moines from bringing Iowa its first national championship.
In last year’s matchup, Clark had 30 points and eight assists, but LSU finished with the highest-scoring game in championship history.
“Certainly I know that the spotlight is there,” Clark said recently. “Certainly I know that pressure is there, but that’s not anything you ever shy away from. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I think it’s something this team has deserved and really earned over the course of the last two years, obviously with our run in March Madness. … We’ve performed to that level all year long, and these are some of the most fun moments of basketball right now.”
After three straight subpar outings, Iowa opened with its strongest performance in weeks.
Clark missed her first three 3-pointers, but did virtually everything else, leading Iowa to a 22-14 lead after one quarter, which ended with Division I’s all-time leading scorer putting up six points, six assists, three rebounds and a block.
Clark hit her first 3-pointer early in the second quarter and maintained efficiency by attacking the rim and setting up others for open looks.
Following a near-upset to West Virginia in which the Hawkeyes had a season-low 64 points and seven assists, Clark received overdue assistance, with four teammates finishing with double-digit points.
In a rematch of last year’s Sweet 16, Colorado (24-10) again owned the glass against undersized Iowa, but the team that beat LSU, 2-seed UCLA and 1-seed USC this season never threatened Clark with her final game in black and gold.
Iowa led 48-35 at halftime and never faced a single-digit deficit again.
Now, redemption sits 40 minutes away.
“When I walk off the court I try to take as much time as possible to sign as many autographs or whatever and kind of soak in the environment and enjoy that, because you don’t really know how many games you have left at this point,” Clark said. “You’re trying to go out there and win and fight for another day, and we don’t want this to end. We love coming to practice.
“We love playing games with each other. You want to soak it in and keep extending it out.”
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